By: Sandy Eller
Long a symbol of national expansion as the proverbial “Gateway to the West,” St. Louis lived up to its moniker last week, as the national leadership of Agudath Israel of America spent a day with the members of the Agudah’s Missouri regional office, visiting local institutions and discussing possible growth opportunities with community leaders.
Agudah Executive Vice President Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, COO Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman and Chief Development Officer Rabbi Naftali Miller flew to St. Louis, taking advantage of an opportunity to spread awareness about the many services provided by the Agudah that can benefit local Jewish communities. Also on the day’s agenda was the clear need for the Agudah’s new regional office in Missouri to broaden its reach in order to best serve residents of St. Louis’ two Jewish communities in University City and Chesterfield.
The itinerary included visits to the educational institutions that educate St. Louis’ 550 yeshiva students as well as its, local kollelim and several area shuls. Speaking at Missouri Torah Institute, the visitors expounded on the Agudah’s advocacy efforts and its role in combatting antisemitism, part of its larger mission of supporting the Jewish community at large. A question and answer session provided an opportunity for an engaging discussion with mesivta and beis medrash students about what it means to take responsibility for the community, with the bochurim charged to utilize their own talents to benefit Klal Yisroel. The whirlwind tour of St. Louis’ Jewish community included stops at Tpheres Israel, which also houses the Chesterfield Kollel, Epstein Hebrew Academy, whose enrollment includes a growing number of students transferring from public school each year, Torah Prep School of St. Louis, Esther Miller Bais Yaakov and the St. Louis Kollel in University City.
Joining the mission to St. Louis later in the day for a dinner hosted by community member Charlie Deutsch and a meeting with board members of the Missouri regional office were the Agudah’s National Director of Government Affairs Rabbi A.D. Motzen, and Agudath Israel of Illinois’ Director of Government Affairs Rabbi Shlomo Soroka. Various issues were addressed as the day continued, including how the national Agudah can help the community execute its vision for growth, as well as the Agudah of Illinois’ instrumental role in getting a tax credit scholarship program passed in Missouri that provides $6,375 in tax credits for eligible students and how to further expand the program to benefit more local families.
Tapping into the broader reach of the national Agudah is transformational for St. Louis, explained Rabbi Hillel Anton, educational assistance organization director for the Missouri regional office, who noted that the mission was an inspiring experience on all sides.
“Our guests were able to pick up on the beauty of what is going on in St. Louis, while at the same time being michazek the board and our local institutions by telling us, ‘You’ve got something great here and we will help you make it more beautiful,” said Rabbi Anton. “Similarly, our guests were invigorated seeing the growth that is happening here, with everyone united under the banner of Torah.”
Recognizing the value of smaller Jewish communities is crucial to the Agudah’s mission, explained Rabbi Zwiebel, who discussed the importance of being able to diversify beyond larger population centers such as New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California.
“These communities contribute so much to the overall picture of the Agudah, making it truly an agudah achas,” observed Rabbi Zwiebel. “They are a wonderful injection into the kaleidoscope that we call the Agudah. We are grateful to be able to make them part of our umbrella and for the part they play expanding our horizons. We look forward to helping them with tangible communal needs and connecting them to Gedolei Yisroel and Klal Yisroel.”
“Collaborating within the Agudah and with askanim who share Torah values makes each Agudah office exponentially more powerful and effective,” added community member Jonathan Spetner, who thanked the Agudah leaders for their visit. “It gave our balabatim chizuk to know we are not in this alone, and that the Agudah’s mission of fostering Torah growth for all of Klal Yisroel will impact St. Louis.”
“Being able to tap into the knowledge and experience of the national Agudah’s leadership team is a tremendous opportunity for St. Louis,” said Rabbi Dovid Fromowitz, rosh yeshiva of Missouri Torah Institute. “It was a great kavod for us to be able to host chashuvim who have done so much for Klal Yisroel,” observed Rabbi Fromowitz. “We are excited that Missouri will have the benefits of an Agudah office, which will positively affect our whole community.”
As the Rav of the Agudas Israel shul for 37 years and an architect of the St. Louis Jewish community as we know it today, Rabbi Menachem Greenblatt welcomes the creation of a Missouri regional office of the Agudah, and is confident that it will draw an even greater number of Torah-oriented families to University City and Chesterfield.
“Agudath Israel of America has always been in the forefront of shtadlanus, political activism and benefitting the entire Jewish community,” said Rabbi Greenblatt. “We consider it a great privilege to be part of the Agudah network for the sake of benefitting our entire community.”
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One Response
without the shtadlanus of the Aguda I am not sure where Yiddishkeit would be today in America, we MUST all be mevater to their leaders both lay and professional on ALL matters as they are guided 100% by Daas Torah.